Why dont you call a spade a spade?
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Why dont you call a spade a spade?
Oscar Wilde uses the phrase in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), when the character Lord Henry Wotton remarks: “It is a sad truth, but we have lost the faculty of giving lovely names to things. The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for.”
Is it good to call a spade a spade?
To address or describe the true nature of someone or something, even if it is unpleasant. The term originated from a translation of an ancient Greek phrase, but is considered offensive by some due to the later use of the word “spade” as a racial slur for a black person.
Where did the expression calling a spade a spade come from?
The term to call a spade a spade has its roots in Ancient Greece, in a phrase found in Plutarch’s Apophthegmata Laconic: “…to call a fig a fig and a trough a trough.” Later, in the mid-1500s, the Dutch scholar Erasmus collected various Greek works and translated them into Latin, at which time he interpreted the …
What is the sentence of call a spade a spade?
Example Sentences If you were to call a spade a spade then you would not push him to give it again. Parents are often reluctant to see any faults in their children. It is always better to call a spade a spade rather than spoiling the children with this behaviour.
Where does the phrase Let’s call a spade a spade come from?
Who calls a spade a spade?
“To call a spade a spade” entered the English language when Nicholas Udall translated Erasmus in 1542. Famous authors who have used it in their works include Charles Dickens and W. Somerset Maugham, among others.
What is another way to say call a spade a spade?
What is another word for call a spade a spade?
| be direct | be blunt |
|---|---|
| be candid | be straightforward |
| be to the point | shoot from the hip |
| speak frankly | speak honestly |
| pull no punches | come clean |
What does it mean when someone calls you a spade?
phrase. If you say that someone calls a spade a spade, you mean that they speak clearly and directly about things, even embarrassing or unpleasant things.
Where did the expression Let’s call a spade a spade come from?
What is the meaning of cut a sorry figure?
To appear in a way or make an impression that causes oneself to be regarded unfavorably by others. You’ll cut a sorry figure at the job interview if you wear jeans.
What does it mean to spade someone?
Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.